Instrument for rendering visible the luminous effects produced by radio-active substances.



No. 787,170. PATENTED APR. 11, 1905.

F. H, GLBW. INSTRUMENT FOR RENDERING VISIBLE-THE LUMINOUS EFFECTS PRODUCED BY RADIO-ACTIVE SUBSTANCES.

APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 30,1904.

' erable form of my apparatus.

llnrran dramas INSTRUMENT FOR RENDERING VISIBLE Patented April 11,1905.

Farms:

THE Lummous EFFECTS PRODUCED, BY mi /innit SUBSTANCES. M

SPECIFICATION forming part of. Letters Patent No. 787,170, dated. April 11, Application filed November 30, 1904. Serial No. 234,863. i I A To all 1072 0771, it ntoty concern: I

Be it known that I, FREDERICK HARRISON GLEW, radiographer, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at 156 Clapham road, London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Instruments for BenderingVisible the Luminous Effects Produced by Radio-Active Substances, of which the following is a specification.

.--This invention relates to instruments for;

rendering visible the luminous effects produced by radio-active substances.

-Certain Instruments, knownas l spinthariscopes, have already been devised in which the radio-active rays of such substances as radium are permitted to impinge upon the active surface of a fluorescent or phosphorescent opaque screen, the visible etfects thus produced by the radio-active raysbeing observed through asuitable lens situated in front of the active surface of the screen upon which the radio-active rays impinge and on thesame side thereof as the substance fromwhich the said radio-active rays emerge. I find that a greatly-increased sensitiveness of the instrument can be obtained by using a fluorescent or phosphorescent screen that is transparent and by placing said screen between the lens or point of observance and the radio-active substance, so that said lens will be situated] on the side of the screen opposite to that upon which the radio-active rays impinge. In my improved instrument, therefore, the luminosity produced by the radio-active rays striking the fluorescent or phosphorescent surface of the transparent screen is observed through the said screen instead ofin front of it.

In order that my said invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into efl'ect, I Will'describe the same more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in

which Figure 1 is a longitudinal section ofa pref- Figs. 2 and 3 tus. Fig. at is an elevation of a stencil which may be used with the apparatus as hereinafter described.

fluorescent or phosphorescent surface thereof.

B is the lens, and C is the body carrying the radio-active substance 0, the luminous emanations of which are tobe observed. In Fig. 1 the said screen is made independent of the lens and eyepiece and is .detachably connected with the casing 71, in which the eyepiece b', carrying said lens, is adjustable for focusing purposes. For thus detachably connecting said screen with thelens-casing I have shown the latter provided with resilient lingers 5 which are adapted to grip the opposite edges of the screen-body A between them With suflicient firmness to maintain the same in place. Other means may, however, be employed for thus detachably connecting the said sensitive screen with the lens-casing. The body C, ,ca rrying the radio-active substance 0, is in this example composed of a Price.

body A isscomposed of glass, mica, celluloid,

or similartransparent substance coated on one side only with any suitable adhesive and transparent substancesuch as glue, seccotine,

shellac, or Canada balsam-and then While the coated surface -is in a semifluid state I allow the phosphorescent or fluorescent substance to fall thereon in n powdered condition from a sieve.

adhesive substance becomes dry or set. The phosphorescent orfluorescont substance 1 prefer to use is phosphorescent sulfid of zinc, fluorescent Willemite, or natural silicate oflzincin fine powder or line crystals; butl may use any other suitable phosphorescent or fluores- These particles of powder become wholly or partly embedded in the adhesive substance and are so held in position when the. l

cent substance as and for the purposedescribed, examined is preferably placed very near to or actually in contact with the coatedsurface of the aforesaid transparent sensitive screen A and may be so held in position against the sensitive screen either mechanically or by any adhesive substance. In thisway a flat piece of pitch-blende can be seen by the aid of my apparatus to be radio-active. I-prcferfihowv The radio-active substance to be I and used like a microscopic slide.

ever, to use the pitch-blende in a powdered condition applied, by means of some suitable adhesive substance, such as glue, to the supporting surface or body (3, which may consist of a piece of cardboard or glass. The application of the powdered radio-active substance to the body C may be effected in an analogous manner to that of the phosphorescent or fluorescent powder to the screen-body, A. Anyother radio-active substance may be used insteadof the pitch-blende, such as polonium pr radium or their compounds ,or preparations, either in solution or in the solid or gaseous state.- The glass or other body C, with its coating or surface ofradio-active substance, when. placed in close proximity to or in contact with one of mysensitive transparent screens may be connected with the same In order to keep the radio-active surface of the body C and the sensitive transparent screen at the proper distance apart, I may employ adhesive .strlp asof paper or other material of any tion.

size or shape, which 'will also serve as the means for connecting the said body C and sensitive transparent screen together, as aforesaid. The radio-active body C and the sensitive transparent screen may be of any size or shape, and the space a between their active surfaces may contain air or any suitable gas or'vapor or may be in a vacuuous condi- In the examples shown in the annexed drawingsthis space is sufiicient to permit of the insertion of stencils, as hereinafter described.

In the modification shown by Fig. 2 the lens and the screen are made integral that is to say, the lens comprises a cylindrical piece or body portion of solid glass or anyoptical equivalent which is convex at one end to form the lens B and more or less fiat at the other end to form the transparent surface or body to which the fluorescent or phosphorescent substance u is applied to constitute the sensitive screen. The radio-active body or coated plate C isiarranged relatively to said surface win an analogous manner to that described with reference to Fig. l.

In.Fig. 3'tl1e lens and screen are also made integral; but in this instance the part B comprises a sphere instead of a flat andconvex- 'ended cylinder like that shown in Fig. 2.

The transparent screen is obtained by applying the fluorescent or phosphorescent substance (I at any convenient partof the sphere, and the radio-active body or coated plate Cis made curved in correspondence with the curved surface of this coated portion a of the sphere. In other respects this form of the apparatus is similar to that of the others illustrated in the previous figures.

The arrangements illustramdin Figs. 2 and 3 are especially suitable where eheapness in production is of consideration.

For obtaining certain artistic or spectacir filareifects any suitably cnt stencil, such as that shown in Fig. 4, may be inserted in the. space a"; betweenthe radio-sctiveand phosphorescent surfaces 0; and c to limit the area of visible scintillations to some required pattern. In Fig. 4 the stencil'is supposed to be made of paper, with the upper part out to the outline of a landscape picture, the clear open space a corresponding to the outline of the sky of the picture. I When siich a stencil is placed in the space a the observer sees an imitation of shooting'stars or a pyrotechnic display in the sky-space only. A variety of stencils may be provided for insertion at will into the aforesaid space a". A permanent effect of the kind produced by the use of any of the stencils may be obtained by coating a particular stencil on one side with some adhesive substance and placing the same in contact with either the screen-body A or the radio-active body C, or both sides of the stencil may be coated with adhesive substance and placed between and in contact with the parts A and C to make a permanent attachment together of all the parts.

, Instead of using a stencil of the kind referred to above a design or picture may be painted in ordinary pigments, either on the sensitive surface of the transparent screen or upon the radio-active surface of the body (J, or part of the design or picture may be painted on one and the remainder on the other of these surfaces, or the radio-active body may be mixed with varnish 0r adhesive gum and then painted on the sensitive transparent screen in any required pattern.

The lens B may be of any suitable shape or focal length to suit the observer, so that a focusing arrangement may be dispensed with in cases where a selection can be made by the observer.

Although I have found it advantageous to make my said apparatus as a self-contained device, as shown in the drawings, I may, if

desired,.make the lens or eyepiece, the sensitive transparent screen, and the radio-active body separate from eachother. These various parts could then be adapted to fit into a suitable case or box for conveniently keeping them together when not in use.

What I claim,- and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. The combination of an eyepiece or lens, a radio-active substance, and a transparent and fluorescent or phosphorescent screen interposed or situated between'the eyepiece or lens and the said radio-active substance with its fluorescent or phosphorescent surface directed toward or facing the same for the purpose specified.

2. The combination of an eyepiece or lens, a radio-active substance, a transparent body provided with a sensitive surface of fluorescent or phosphorescent material interposed or situated between the eyepiece or lens and the said radio-active substance with its sensitive surface directed toward. or facingv the same' for the purpose specified. v

3. The combination of an eyepiece or lens, a body provided with a radio-active surface,

a transparent body interposed or situated between the eyepiece orlens and the said radio- I active body and provided with a sensitive 'su' rface of fluorescent or phosphorescent materialon the, side facing the radio-active body, and means'for connecting together said radio-active and sensitive bodies withaspace between tially as and'for the purpose them substantially as and for the purpose described.

4. The combination of an adjustable eye-' piece orlens, a body provided with a radioactive surface, a transparent body interposed or situated between the eyepiece or lens and the said radio active body and provided with a sensitive surface of fluorescent or phosphorescent material on the side facing the radio;

active body, means for connecting together said radio-active and sensitive bodies with a a sensitive su rface of sitive bodies to the eyepiece or situated between the eyepiece or lens and thesaid radio-active body and provided with escent material on the side facing the radioactive body, means for connecting together said radio-active and sensitive bodies with a space between them and resilient fingers on the said adjustable eyepiece or lens for detachably connecting the said radio-active and senor lens substantially as and for the purpose described.

6. The combination of an eyepiece or lens,

a body provided with a radio-active surface, a transparent body interposed or situated be: tween the eyepiece or lens and the said radioactive body and provided. with -a sensitive phosphorescent rna-' terial on the side facing the radio-active body,-v means for connecting together said radio-acsurface of fluorescent or tive and sensitive bodies with a space between them, and a stencil adaptedto space-for the purpose specified. v

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, in presence of two subscribing wit-' nesses, this 15th day ofNovember, 1904.

FREDERICK HARRISON stew.

Witnesses:

T. SELBY WARDLE, 'WALTER. J. SKERTEN.

fluorescent or phosphorlie within said v p 

